Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-05-12
BAKU'S FOUNTAINS.
THE PERSIAN RIVAL OF PENNSYl-
vsNlAS PETROLEUM FIELDS.

A Great Town Built Upon the Spot Here
tofore Held sacred by the Fire Wor-
Shipping Ghebrrs-Tweiv. Thousand
Sausre Miles OF Oil Region.
The great town of Baku has now
coast line Of about six miles, sweeping
around II we'll projected harbor crowded
with shipping of all tonnage all
fitted with tanks 10 store the oil that
pours fr"m hundred fountains From
time immrmorial this spot has been
deemed sacred by the Ghebres of Persia,
who recognize in the flame of the native
naphtha a sacred fire symbol. Here for at
least > 900 wears the sacred earth fed flame
has burned increasingly, and the temple
of Surukhani has been Il center OF reNer-
ent pilgrimage. This native naphtha nows
from the soil in so pure a form as to burh
without rectiiicatiOn. and Is, indeed, 50 III
fiammable that the naphtha gas occas-
ionally ignites spontaneously and plays
in pale flames above assures ia the rock
On stormy nights these flames have t"eh
seen to blaze up with an awful spirit
light. which. 10 the eyes of the Ghebres,
invested the spot with special sauctity-a
sanCtity intensified by the fact that here,
according to Arabian chroi iclerS. great
volcanic mountain was in tull action TIL
800 wears ago. Since thin the thermal
forces have expended their energies ON
spouting oil and Herewith saturating the
desert plain of the Aspheros peninsula;
and truly a more repulsive site for great
city could not well be found.
II is plain about fifteen miles in width
and projecting thirty miles into the Gas
| plan from the point where the Caucasus
| terminates ON its shores. The whole sur
] face Of the ground is black with waste
| petroleum. which in cold weather hardens
| TO the consistency Of asphalt, whereas be
meath the blazing midsummer sun the
foot sinks in to the depth Of two or three
| inches Every breath OF wind raises
| binding clouds of black, bituminous dust
1 formed 10y the coarse black naphtha with
| which the streets are periodically wa
| tered ~ true water being too precious 10
| he thus wasted. This dust, combined
| with the dense smoke poured from the
| chimneys Of somewhere about 300 reiin-
| ing factories. does nothing 10 improve the
| atmosphere. And here, day and night,
| the oil fountains pour forth their hideous
black streams They yield an average Of
| from p to b per cent Of pure oil, and
| from % to 80 per cent of refuse, which
| makes excellent fuel for the great fleets
| of oil steamers and locomotives. The
| supply NAV well be deemed ineNhaustible,
inasmuch as 1900 square miles in this
| region are found TO be oleiferuus, and OF
this vast surface only SIX miles have a
yet been developed. The oi! bearing
stratum extends beneath the Caspian,
where it crops mp in Tehelikan, true isle
of oil Here the oil literally streams int
the sea from hills and cliffs, which may bt
said to be- formed of oZokerite-in Other
words. of crude paraffine. On the eastern
shore of the Caspian it reappears at various
points. AS. for instance, at the Neft OIL
Naphtha hill, where the deposits are Of
1cally valued at E35, OOO, 600.
THE FIRE GIANTS SPORT.
| Now, the fire giant who tends the grea
laboratory beneath the Caspian seems L
emulate the example of his brethren il
New Zealand and Tonga. Hitherto he ha:
been satisfied with such sport as turning
on such an oil stream as that hich gushet
fo.th three years ago from one of thu
Baku springs. spouting with such force a:
To break To pieces three inch cast iroI
pipe which had been fastened over tn,
well in order to divert the flow to a diff
ferent direction. A neighboring oil spring
on being tapped, threw up column O
petroleum to twice the height of tn,
Great Geyser in Iceland, forming hug,
black fountain 200 feet i'll height-a iouT
tain, however, attributed solely 10 the re
moyal Of the pressure on the confined gas
as there is no perceptible heat in thess
geysers. II Was visible for many mile:
around and ON the first day il poure,
forth about 80 600 barrels and, with
gradually diminishing volume, continued
10 plsy for five months, when il finail,
subside,l. leaving its unfortunate owner.
ian. Armenian company, well nigh RUNE,
by the claims brought against il by neigh
bors whose lands were DESTROYED by tn,
| nil flood